The news today both results from, and dwarfs those previous announcements: Sinar Mas palm oil branch Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has unveiled a plan to no longer destroy forests and carbon-rich peatlands. This move by GAR would have been almost unimaginable just a year ago, and – if properly implemented – could be an historic step towards full forest and peatland protection in Indonesia. It could also be enormously important for the survival of endangered wildlife like the orangutan and Sumatran tiger that have been pushed toward extinction as their forest habitat disappeared at a record rate.

Of course, this commitment will mean nothing without implementation, and Greenpeace will be watching closely as that process moves ahead. We understand that words without action are meaningless, and are always on the lookout for corporations trying to greenwash their image.

What does this major announcement mean for the hard-hitting global Greenpeace campaigning to achieve zero deforestation in Indonesia? While we give GAR time to make its new policy real, we will not be calling on additional companies to cancel business with the company. Instead, we are challenging other industry players to step up and make similar forest protection commitments. Now is the time for other palm oil producers and users to stop stalling and start making real moves to change business as usual for the better.

This is also a huge opportunity to advance efforts by the Indonesian government to follow through on commitments to protect forests and slash climate pollution. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a plan in 2010 to significantly reduce deforestation, including a two-year moratorium on forest destruction. Efforts to formalize the moratorium have recently slowed. The government should use this major industry announcement to move ahead, suspending new forest and peatland clearance permits, and reviewing activities in areas where licences have already been granted.

This “time out” is essential to cut down on illegal activities, corruption, confusion and to give Indonesia a chance to do sensible long-term land use planning. By making reforms and improving its land management, the Indonesian economy – and people – will benefit with new investment, higher productivity and a position of leadership in international marketplaces.

Back to Sinar Mas. The giant conglomerate still has plenty of problems to address. While we welcome this bold announcement and urge GAR to follow through, this is not an endorsement of Sinar Mas. The commitments by GAR apply only to its palm oil branch. So, companies like its paper arm, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), continue with their forest destruction unabated. That is unacceptable. If GAR can turn a new leaf, so can APP. As a whole, Sinar Mas companies could be a remarkable force for positive change; divided, it runs the risk of sending mixed messages, undermining Indonesia’s progress to create a greener, more prosperous future.

While there is much more to do, it is worth taking a moment now to celebrate the tremendous progress we have achieved. That progress is due to the countless people throughout the country and around the world who took time to raise their voice and contribute their talents to this campaign. If you are one of them, please accept my deep thanks and appreciation. If you have not had a chance to participate yet, there is still plenty of work to be done! You can start by telling fast-food giant YUM! Brands(and their subsidiary Pizza Hut) that it is time for them to take a stand for tropical forest protection. Without a forest protection policy, they are not only getting increasingly out of date…they are becoming more and more a part of the problem!

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(Unregistered) barneymac
says:

hurray one for the the planet on her way to being saved in new zealand we call mother earth ( papatuanuku ) if we dont make a change now we will never...

hurray one for the the planet on her way to being saved in new zealand we call mother earth ( papatuanuku ) if we dont make a change now we will never make a change to mother earth.After all we are only kiatiaki of this planet for the next generations to come.love this

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(Unregistered) DBak.
says:

Giant food and biofuels companies around the world need to diversify their buying of palm oil AWAY FROM Indonesia and Malaysia to prevent further extreme destruction of rainforests there, and buy palm oil from a large list of tropical countries, for example....5% from Indonesia...5% from India....5% from Ghana......5% from Sierra Leone....5% from Brazil....5% from Guatemala etc.

Much of this palm oil should also be planted on land which has already been cleared, (if this type of land is available). Governments could/should offer incentives for palm oil growers who do this, as opposed to those who choose to clear/burn down standing rainforest to plant palm oil plantations.

One of the largest islands on earth, Borneo, which is the size of Alaska, is well on it's way to being completely deforested because of palm oil and logging. Only 30 years ago Borneo was almost COMPLETELY covered with old growth/virgin tropical forest. Tribal forest dwelling people there are being heavily impacted by this and mega-dam building on their rivers.

The island of New Guinea, which is similiar in size and forest cover to Borneo, is now suffering the same fate.

The orangutang, which is native to Southeast Asia, is threatened with total extinction in the wild within as little as 5-10 years if current deforestation rates continue.

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(Unregistered) Foggy Ozarks
says:

i see five comments here in 2011 when the article was posted by greenpeace. so, i wondered how this big PALM OIL corporation is doing FOUR YEARS LATE...

i see five comments here in 2011 when the article was posted by greenpeace. so, i wondered how this big PALM OIL corporation is doing FOUR YEARS LATER in 2015 to KEEP IT'S PROMISE to greenpeace? the reason is i was viewing images at rawforbeauty and suddenly, across all these beautiful images and mindfulness quotes, i did come across an image too horrifying to wrap my head around ~a full grown orangutan that looked like it had been ran through a shredder ~it broke my heart! also, i know there is war among humans and their gunpowder and other destructive power but there are also guardians like GREENPEACE. i am happy to see some ex-military volunteering to help African and other rain forest rangers begin to fight back on the ELEPHANT, RHINO and other animals being poached by what are now being refered to as ELEPHANT TERRORISTS. the horror of the pain that these animals go through at man's hand and the horror of a child starving to death or dying from eating impoverished foods, especially those in the US ~it is all so disappointing. i was told by my dad at a time when i thought maybe there was something wrong with people 40 years ago that "most people are good." well then, most people need to get busier helping poor people and innocent biosystems that NEED US NOW. THE FUTURE IS NOW!

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